>It's sorta like the Ramones taking a very bad novelty record like
>"Surfin' Bird" and turning it a pretty great rock n roll song.
>Will Miner
I'm not sure what the story is with the Ramones covering this song, but I'd
be willing to bet dollars to cakeholes that it was a self-conscious homage.
I think "Surfin' Bird" is one of the great one-hit wonder songs in rock 'n'
roll (although, I have to admit, it does get old quick). I believe, though,
that bands like The Ramones--especially The Ramones, in fact--owe their
existence to songs like this. The idea of a three-chord--at most--rock 'n'
roll song providing a template for an entire career was virtually destroyed
by bands like The Beatles, who went from these same three-chord songs into
worlds of far-out musical experimentation and sophistication. Every band, it
seemed, had to do their "psychedelic" album, their "concept" album, and so
forth. Well, The Ramones--Joey, in particular--never forget how good it felt
to hear simple songs like "She Loves You" on the Sullivan show. And if they
took anything from the Beatles conceptually, I guess it would be the idea
that four leather-clad "brothers" playing as if The Beatles stopped
recording after "A Hard Day's Night" was it. Thus, songs like "She Loves
You"--via The Ramones--would, inadvertently it seems, end up providing punk
with an important part of its structural and musical foundation. So, that
The Ramones would cover "Surfin' Bird"--in this light--seems to make perfect
historical sense.
And even had it been ironic, let me utter a few words in defense of irony.
It would seem that "being ironic" is not something to aspire to, but I
believe that the context is vital. Irony--for me anyway--is sort of like
marijuana. You might wanna dip into the bag every now and then, but a
lifestyle based on it is silly and boring. So, the Mats covering a KISS song
can definitely be seen as a socially-connecting device (No way, dude, I
bought this KISS album in the fifth grade. WOO-HOO!), but a entire album of
KISS songs would be (urge) overkill. This also seems to be the difference
between aberrations like the "Cocktail Nation" (Boy, that didn't get old
fast, did it?) and the Swing revival, and bands who happen to find genuine,
artistically-satisfying inspiration in the Louis Prima/Keely Smith/Sam
Butera records. It also seems to be the difference in bands that wrap
themselves in the ND-alt.country.com flag, and bands that just happen to
find inspiration in Neil Young, UT, and Creedence. Unfortunately, there is
no convenient device for discerning between the posers and those who, we
might feel, have their hearts in the right place. Add to this, the
possiblity that shitty bands can find genuine inspiration in songs we love,
and bands we love finding genuine inspiration in irony. Confusing, isn't it.
Anyway, I got through this whole post without using the word fuck. Maybe I
am growing up. : )
Lance . . .
